Another aggressive offseason expected

General manager Ned Colletti surveyed the damage as the Dodgers' $234.5 million season came to an end two games short of the World Series.

"This is sports -- it's supposed to be exciting," Colletti said. "This group was certainly exciting."

That it was. The Dodgers' 2013 season was historic for more reasons than the team's massive payroll. Rebounding from a disastrous start that left them 12 games below .500, they had one of the best 50-game runs in baseball history, won the NL West going away and reached the NLCS before losing in six games to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The next step will look a lot like the first step in the restoration project undertaken when the Guggenheim Partners bought the team for a shocking $2.15 billion.

The expensive makeover that got the Dodgers to the brink of the World Series will live on next season. They already have 11 players under contract for 2014 at a total of $161 million. More big expenditures are expected with ace lefty Clayton Kershaw likely to get a contract extension that will make him the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history.

The Dodgers will no doubt be linked with every big-name free agent or trade target that comes up this offseason.

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano (the best free agent on this winter's market) might not fit into the Dodgers' plans but Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero does and could be signed soon.

Rays lefty David Price (rumored to be a possible trade chip this winter) would certainly be targeted by the Dodgers if he becomes available. But team president Stan Kasten has said rebuilding the farm system is the next step in ownership's master plan and acquiring Price would almost certainly require gutting that system of its few blue chips (shortstop Corey Seager, right-hander Zach Lee, outfielder Joc Pederson, left-hander Julio Urias).

A big move could come from the outfield, where rookie Yasiel Puig shouldered his way into the majors, creating a quartet of every-day outfielders (with Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford) that was never healthy at the same time in 2013.

Change could be forthcoming in the manager's office, too. Although Don Mattingly holds a contract option for 2014 thanks to guiding the Dodgers to the NLCS, he said he was uncertain whether he will remain on the job. He apparently is seeking a long-term extension. Colletti said the issue would be resolved quickly.

One thing is certain, though. The Dodgers' aggressive, acquisitive new ownership group, the record TV deal that fueled the franchise makeover and the top attendance in the majors will make Los Angeles a force to be reckoned with in 2014.

"We're definitely going to have the team again next year," Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez said.

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MLB Team Report - Los Angeles Dodgers - NOTES, QUOTES

2013: 92-70, first place in NL West, lost to Cardinals in NL Championship Series

TEAM MVP: It's almost impossible to identify an MVP on the Dodgers this season. Does Adrian Gonzalez deserve it for his steady consistency, keeping the team's offense afloat for over two months before the rest of the lineup coalesced around him? Certainly. How about Clayton Kershaw, who had one of the most dominant performances by a pitcher in years? Absolutely. And how can you underestimate the impact Yasiel Puig had on the Dodgers, sparking life in a moribund last-place team when he was promoted in June? All are deserving -- but Hanley Ramirez might be the biggest difference-maker. Limited to roughly a half-season by injuries, Ramirez put up remarkable numbers -- a .345 average, 20 home runs, 57 RBIs and a 1.040 OPS that only one player in the majors topped (Detroit's Miguel Cabrera). "Puig gets a lot of attention," Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said. "But Hanley really has been the force."

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: The runner-up for the NL MVP two years ago, Matt Kemp has been a non-factor for the majority of the Dodgers season. For the first two months of the season, he was a shadow of his former self offensively, still feeling the aftereffects of major shoulder surgery last October. Then a series of injuries to his hamstring, shoulder and ankle limited him to just 22 games after Memorial Day. Kemp was shut down by team doctors for the postseason due to a fragile ankle, and he subsequently underwent shoulder and ankle operations.